For some, the jewel in Essex's crown could be Southend-on-Sea's famous pier, Colchester Castle or the historic woodland of Epping Forest.

But for others, the county's beating heart lies within the four walls of the Sugar Hut nightclub in Brentwood.

The celebrity hotspot, made famous by its appearances on The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE), is now preparing to shut its doors for good.

A bidder can purchase it for £3.85m, but what made the venue so famous?

Having opened on Brentwood High Street in 2004, it was six years before Sugar Hut shot to fame.

It quickly became the backdrop to arguments and drama on the ITV show TOWIE when the hit series premiered in 2010.

But before its new-found TV fame, the venue was the town's most historic pub - The White Hart.

Planning documents showed the old coaching inn dated back to at least 1500, offering a convenient place of rest for those travelling between London, Colchester and further afield in Suffolk and Norfolk.

Richard II, whose crest was a white hart, was said to have inspired the pub's name when he reportedly spent the night there in the 15th Century.

"It must have been packed with people for much of its 500-year life," one document reads.

Today, its architectural importance is recognised in the Grade II* listed status bestowed upon the building's first-floor galleries.

The prominence of Sugar Hut was ramped up when its owner Mick Norcross was introduced as a TOWIE star in his own right.

Under his stewardship, stars including Pamela Anderson, Frank Lampard and Teddy Sheringham all partied at the venue.

Their appearances followed the likes of TOWIE regulars Joey Essex, Mark Wright and Gemma Collins all gracing its dance floor.

Despite the increasing exposure offered by the ITV cameras, Norcross left the show in 2013, saying it had damaged Sugar Hut's brand.

told The Sun at the time: "My club is an upmarket venue where people come to drink champagne and feel spoiled.

"All these rows they keep filming don't show the club in a good light and I'm worried it's putting people off coming, which is the last thing I want."

The bar still retained its magnetic pull for celebrities though, hosting wrap parties for Love Island and Celebrity Big Brother and employing so-called "Sugar Hut Honeys" to pull the crowds in.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage even held a rally there in 2019 when he was in charge of the Brexit Party.

Norcross ultimately sold the venue that year, two years before his death in 2021, because he did not want the TOWIE association anymore.

When it reopened in October 2022, the nightclub promoted itself on its website as appealing to a "new generation of beautiful partygoers", with immersive theatre events and different music genres to "suit all tastes".

Simon Ryan, who appeared on the first series of the ITV programme, said it was at one point "a Mayfair club in Essex".

"Going to Sugar Hut, you didn't know who you were going to bump into," he told BBC Essex.

"They had some very famous clientele there. It was central in a lot of drama and storylines of TOWIE."

Ryan said Norcross and his son, Kirk, built a "fantastic experience" for punters wanting a night out.

"You just didn't know who you'd see in there and it was a great vibe," he added.

He said it would be "the end of an era" if the building did not continue as a nightclub.

When the building last changed hands, it was bought in 2012 for £1.3m by Karma Assets Limited.

According to Companies House, the Essex company is run by managing director Zivile Milusauskaite, and the firm still owns Sugar Hut.